US20040218312A1 - Thin film magnetic head and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents
Thin film magnetic head and method of manufacturing the same Download PDFInfo
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- US20040218312A1 US20040218312A1 US10/815,379 US81537904A US2004218312A1 US 20040218312 A1 US20040218312 A1 US 20040218312A1 US 81537904 A US81537904 A US 81537904A US 2004218312 A1 US2004218312 A1 US 2004218312A1
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- layer
- magnetic pole
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- thin film
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- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
- G11B5/127—Structure or manufacture of heads, e.g. inductive
- G11B5/31—Structure or manufacture of heads, e.g. inductive using thin films
- G11B5/3109—Details
- G11B5/313—Disposition of layers
- G11B5/3143—Disposition of layers including additional layers for improving the electromagnetic transducing properties of the basic structure, e.g. for flux coupling, guiding or shielding
- G11B5/3146—Disposition of layers including additional layers for improving the electromagnetic transducing properties of the basic structure, e.g. for flux coupling, guiding or shielding magnetic layers
- G11B5/315—Shield layers on both sides of the main pole, e.g. in perpendicular magnetic heads
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- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
- G11B5/127—Structure or manufacture of heads, e.g. inductive
- G11B5/1278—Structure or manufacture of heads, e.g. inductive specially adapted for magnetisations perpendicular to the surface of the record carrier
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- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
- G11B5/127—Structure or manufacture of heads, e.g. inductive
- G11B5/31—Structure or manufacture of heads, e.g. inductive using thin films
- G11B5/3109—Details
- G11B5/3116—Shaping of layers, poles or gaps for improving the form of the electrical signal transduced, e.g. for shielding, contour effect, equalizing, side flux fringing, cross talk reduction between heads or between heads and information tracks
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- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
- G11B5/127—Structure or manufacture of heads, e.g. inductive
- G11B5/31—Structure or manufacture of heads, e.g. inductive using thin films
- G11B5/3163—Fabrication methods or processes specially adapted for a particular head structure, e.g. using base layers for electroplating, using functional layers for masking, using energy or particle beams for shaping the structure or modifying the properties of the basic layers
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
- Y10T29/4902—Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
- Y10T29/49021—Magnetic recording reproducing transducer [e.g., tape head, core, etc.]
- Y10T29/49032—Fabricating head structure or component thereof
- Y10T29/49034—Treating to affect magnetic properties
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
- Y10T29/4902—Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
- Y10T29/49021—Magnetic recording reproducing transducer [e.g., tape head, core, etc.]
- Y10T29/49032—Fabricating head structure or component thereof
- Y10T29/49036—Fabricating head structure or component thereof including measuring or testing
- Y10T29/49041—Fabricating head structure or component thereof including measuring or testing with significant slider/housing shaping or treating
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
- Y10T29/4902—Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
- Y10T29/49021—Magnetic recording reproducing transducer [e.g., tape head, core, etc.]
- Y10T29/49032—Fabricating head structure or component thereof
- Y10T29/49036—Fabricating head structure or component thereof including measuring or testing
- Y10T29/49043—Depositing magnetic layer or coating
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
- Y10T29/4902—Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
- Y10T29/49021—Magnetic recording reproducing transducer [e.g., tape head, core, etc.]
- Y10T29/49032—Fabricating head structure or component thereof
- Y10T29/49036—Fabricating head structure or component thereof including measuring or testing
- Y10T29/49043—Depositing magnetic layer or coating
- Y10T29/49044—Plural magnetic deposition layers
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
- Y10T29/4902—Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
- Y10T29/49021—Magnetic recording reproducing transducer [e.g., tape head, core, etc.]
- Y10T29/49032—Fabricating head structure or component thereof
- Y10T29/49036—Fabricating head structure or component thereof including measuring or testing
- Y10T29/49043—Depositing magnetic layer or coating
- Y10T29/49046—Depositing magnetic layer or coating with etching or machining of magnetic material
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
- Y10T29/4902—Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
- Y10T29/49021—Magnetic recording reproducing transducer [e.g., tape head, core, etc.]
- Y10T29/49032—Fabricating head structure or component thereof
- Y10T29/49048—Machining magnetic material [e.g., grinding, etching, polishing]
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a thin film magnetic head having at least an inductive magnetic transducer for recording and a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a thin film magnetic head having a write shield layer for preventing spread of a magnetic flux emitted from a magnetic pole layer and a method of manufacturing the same.
- a magnetic recording medium such as a hard disk.
- Examples of a known method of recording a thin film magnetic head are a longitudinal recording method in which the orientation of a signal magnetic field is set to an in-plane direction (longitudinal direction) of a recording medium and a perpendicular recording method in which the orientation of a signal magnetic field is set to a direction orthogonal to the face of a recording medium.
- the longitudinal recording method is widely used.
- the perpendicular recording method has advantages such that high linear recording density can be assured and a recorded recording medium is not easily influenced by thermal fluctuations.
- a thin film magnetic head of the perpendicular recording method has, for example, a thin film coil for generating a magnetic flux, a magnetic pole layer for emitting the magnetic flux generated by the thin film coil toward a recording medium, and a write shield layer (magnetic shield layer) for preventing spread of a magnetic flux emitted from the magnetic pole layer.
- a thin film magnetic head of this kind a thin film magnetic head in which a write shield layer is disposed on a trailing side of the magnetic pole layer (medium outflow side) is known (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Nos. 05-325137 and 06-236526).
- Another example of the known methods is a method of disposing a write shield layer so as to surround a magnetic pole layer from three directions of a trailing direction and two side directions which are orthogonal to the trailing direction in order to effectively prevent spread of a magnetic flux (refer to, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,546).
- the thin film magnetic heads have an advantage of improved recording density since a recording track width on a recording medium is narrowed on the basis of prevention of spread of a magnetic flux.
- the present invention has been achieved in consideration of such problems and its first object is to provide a method capable of easily manufacturing a thin film magnetic head at high precision, in which a magnetic shield layer is disposed so as to surround a magnetic pole layer from three directions of a medium outflow direction and two side directions orthogonal to the medium outflow direction.
- a second object of the invention is to provide a thin film magnetic head manufactured by using the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention.
- a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head comprising a thin film coil for generating a magnetic flux and a magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole tip portion for emitting the magnetic flux generated by the thin film coil toward a recording medium traveling in a predetermined medium travel direction, comprises: a first step of forming a first photoresist layer in a pattern so as to have a shape in plan view corresponding to a shape in plan view of the magnetic pole layer; a second step of forming a first gap layer so as to cover the first photoresist layer and a peripheral region of the first photoresist layer; a third step of forming a second photoresist layer so as to cover the first gap layer; a fourth step of exposing the first photoresist layer by etching at least the second photoresist layer and the first gap layer halfway; a fifth step of removing the first and second photoresist layers to thereby form a magnetic pole formation region surrounded by the first gap layer in a
- a magnetic pole layer and a second gap layer are formed, and the magnetic pole layer is covered with the first and second gap layers from three directions.
- a magnetic shield layer is formed on the first and second gap layer portions so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer from three directions.
- a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head comprising a thin film coil for generating a magnetic flux and a magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole tip portion for emitting the magnetic flux generated by the thin film coil toward a recording medium traveling in a predetermined medium travel direction, comprises: a first step of forming a first photoresist layer in a pattern so as to have a shape in plan view corresponding to a shape in plan view of the magnetic pole tip portion; a second step of forming a first gap layer so as to cover the first photoresist layer and a peripheral region of the first photoresist layer; a third step of forming a second photoresist layer so as to cover the first gap layer; a fourth step of exposing the first photoresist layer by etching at least the second photoresist layer and the first gap layer halfway; a fifth step of removing the first and second photoresist layers to thereby form a magnetic pole tip formation region surrounded by the first gap layer in
- a magnetic pole tip portion and a second gap layer are formed, and the magnetic pole tip portion is surrounded from three directions by the first and second gap layers.
- a magnetic shield layer is formed on the first and second gap layer portions so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions.
- a thin film magnetic head comprises: a thin film coil for generating a magnetic flux; a magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole tip portion for emitting the magnetic flux generated by the thin film coil toward a recording medium traveling in a predetermined medium travel direction, and extending from a recording medium facing surface which faces the recording medium in the direction away from the recording medium facing surface; a first gap layer disposed so as to be adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in two side directions orthogonal to the medium outflow direction in the medium travel direction; a second gap layer disposed so as to be adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in the medium outflow direction; and a magnetic shield layer disposed so as to extend from the recording medium facing surface in the direction away from the recording medium facing surface and so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers.
- the thin film magnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention has: the first gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in two side directions; the second gap layer disposed adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in the medium outflow direction; and the magnetic shield layer surrounding the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers.
- the thin film magnetic head can be manufactured by using the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention.
- a thin film magnetic head comprises: a thin film coil for generating a magnetic flux; a magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole tip portion for emitting the magnetic flux generated by the thin film coil toward a recording medium traveling in a predetermined medium travel direction, and extending from a recording medium facing surface which faces the recording medium in a direction away from the recording medium facing surface; a first gap layer disposed so as to be adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in two side directions orthogonal to the medium outflow direction in the medium travel direction; a second gap layer disposed so as to be adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in the medium outflow direction; and a magnetic shield layer disposed so as to extend from the recording medium facing surface in the direction away from the recording medium facing surface and so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers.
- the thin film magnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention has: the first gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in two side directions; the second gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in the medium outflow direction; and the magnetic shield layer surrounding the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers.
- the thin film magnetic head can be manufactured by using the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B are cross sections showing a sectional configuration of a thin film magnetic head according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of main components of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of main components of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
- FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross sections for explaining one of processes of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B to FIG. 3.
- FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 4A and 4B.
- FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 5A and 5B.
- FIGS. 7A and 7B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 6A and 6B.
- FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 7A and 7B.
- FIGS. 9A and 9B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 8A and 8B.
- FIGS. 10A and 10B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 9A and 9B.
- FIGS. 11A and 11B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 10A and 10B.
- FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B.
- FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B.
- FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B.
- FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B.
- FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B.
- FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B.
- FIG. 18 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B.
- FIG. 19 is a plan view showing the configuration for explaining an example of formation of a seed layer.
- FIG. 20 is a diagram showing dependency on an incident angle of etching rate.
- FIG. 21 is a cross section for explaining an advantage of a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 22 is a cross section for explaining problems of a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head as a comparative example of the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 23 is a cross section showing a modification of the configuration of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIG. 21.
- FIG. 24 is a cross section showing another modification of the configuration of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIG. 21.
- FIGS. 25A and 25B are cross sections for explaining one of forming processes of a first modification of the method of forming a write shield layer.
- FIGS. 26A and 26B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 25A and 25B.
- FIGS. 27A and 27B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 26A and 26B.
- FIGS. 28A and 28B are cross sections for explaining one of forming processes of a second modification of the method of forming the write shield layer.
- FIGS. 29A and 29B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 28A and 28B.
- FIGS. 30A and 30B are cross sections for explaining a process in a manufacturing process of a third modification of the method of forming the write shield layer.
- FIGS. 31A and 31B are cross sections showing a modification of the process of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B show sectional configurations of a thin film magnetic head.
- FIG. 1A shows a section parallel to an air bearing surface 20 and
- FIG. 1B shows a section perpendicular to the air bearing surface 20 .
- FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of main components of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the main components.
- An upward arrow B shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B indicates the travel direction of a recording medium (not shown) relative to the thin film magnetic head (medium travel direction).
- the distance in the X-axis direction shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B to FIG. 3 will be described as “width”, the distance in the Y-axis direction will be described as “length”, and the distance in the Z-axis direction will be described as “thickness, height, or depth”.
- the side closer to the air bearing surface 20 in the Y-axis direction will be described as “front side or forward” and the side opposite to the front side will be described as “rear side or rearward”.
- the description will be similarly used in FIGS. 4A and 4B and subsequent drawings.
- the thin film magnetic head is, for example, a composite head capable of executing the functions of both recording and reproducing.
- the thin film magnetic head has a configuration obtained by stacking, on a substrate 1 made of a ceramic material such as AlTiC (Al 2 O 3 .TiC), an insulating layer 2 made of a non-magnetic insulating material such as aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 , hereinbelow, simply called “alumina”), a reproducing head portion 100 A for executing a reproducing process by using a magneto-resistive (MR) effect, an isolation layer 7 made of a non-magnetic insulating material such as alumina, a recording head portion 100 B of a single magnetic pole type for executing a recording process of a perpendicular recording method, and an overcoat layer 19 made of a non-magnetic insulating material such as alumina.
- the layers are stacked in this order.
- the reproducing head portion 100 A has, for example, a configuration in which a lower shield layer 3 , a shield gap film 4 , and an upper shield layer 5 are stacked in this order.
- an MR device 6 as a reproducing device is buried so that one end face is exposed in the recording medium facing surface (air bearing surface) 20 which faces a recording medium.
- the lower and upper shield layers 3 and 5 are made of, for example, a magnetic material such as a nickel iron alloy (NiFe (for example, Ni: 80% by weight and Fe: 20% by weight) which will be simply called “permalloy (trademark)” hereinbelow).
- NiFe nickel iron alloy
- Each of the layers has a thickness of about 1.0 ⁇ m to 2.0 ⁇ m.
- the shield gap film 4 is used to electrically isolate the MR device 6 from the periphery and is made of, for example, a non-magnetic insulating material such as alumina.
- the MR device 6 is provided to execute a reproducing process by using GMR (Giant Magneto-resistive) or TMR (Tunneling Magneto-resistive) effect.
- the recording head portion 100 B has a configuration obtained by, for example, sequentially stacking a return yoke layer 8 buried by an insulating layer 9 , an auxiliary return yoke layer 10 , a yoke layer 11 , and a thin film coil 13 buried by insulating layers 12 and 14 , a seed layer 15 having an opening (back gap 15 BG) for connection, a magnetic pole layer 16 covered with a gap layer 17 , and a write shield layer (magnetic shield layer) 18 .
- FIG. 2 shows the return yoke layer 8 , auxiliary return yoke layer 10 , yoke layer 11 , thin film coil 13 , seed layer 15 , magnetic pole layer 16 , and write shield layer 18 in the recording head portion 100 B.
- FIG. 3 shows the seed layer 15 , magnetic pole layer 16 , gap layer 17 , and write shield layer 18 .
- the return yoke layer 8 is provided to return a magnetic flux emitted from the magnetic pole layer 16 and magnetized a recording medium and is made of, for example, a magnetic material such as permalloy or an iron cobalt nickel (FeCoNi) alloy.
- the return yoke layer 8 extends in the direction apart from the air bearing surface 20 and has, for example, a rectangular shape (having a width W 3 ) in plan view.
- the auxiliary return yoke layer 10 is provided to lead the magnetic flux used for recording to the return yoke layer 8 , is exposed from the air bearing surface 20 and connected to the return yoke layer 8 .
- the yoke layer 11 is provided to connect the return yoke layer 8 and the magnetic pole layer 16 , recessed from the air bearing surface 20 and connected to the return yoke layer 8 .
- Each of the auxiliary return yoke layer 10 and the yoke layer 11 is made of, for example, a magnetic material as that of the return yoke layer 8 and has a rectangular shape (having the width W 3 ) in plan view. “Connection” in the specification means not only a simple contact but also a contact and magnetic conduction.
- the insulating layer 9 is made of, for example, a non-magnetic insulating material such as alumina.
- the thin film coil 13 is provided to generate a magnetic flux for recording.
- the thin film coil 13 has, for example, a winding structure that a wire is wound in a spiral shape around the yoke layer 11 as a center, and is made of a high-conductive material such as copper (Cu).
- a high-conductive material such as copper (Cu).
- FIGS. 1A, 1B and FIG. 2 only a part of a plurality of turns constructing the thin film coil 13 is shown.
- the insulating layers 12 and 14 are provided to electrically isolate the thin film coil 13 from the periphery and are made of, for example, a non-magnetic insulating material such as alumina.
- the seed layer 15 is used for performing a plating process and has, for example, a shape in plan view corresponding to the shape in plan view of the magnetic pole layer 16 .
- the magnetic pole layer 16 is provided to contain the magnetic flux generated by the thin film coil 13 and emit the magnetic flux toward a recording medium, and extends from the air bearing surface 20 in the direction apart from the air bearing surface 20 .
- the rear end portion 16 B has the uniform width W 2 in its rear part and is gradually tapered to the tip portion 16 A.
- the position from which the width of the magnetic pole layer 16 increases from the tip portion 16 A (width W 1 ) to the rear end portion 16 B (width W 2 ) is called a flare point FP.
- the gap layer 17 is provided to construct a gap for providing magnetic isolation between the magnetic layer 16 and the write shield layer 18 .
- the gap layer 17 includes a gap layer portion 17 A (first gap layer) which is disposed so as to cover the side faces and a peripheral area of the magnetic layer 16 and is adjacent to the magnetic pole layer 16 , and a gap layer portion 17 B (second gap layer) disposed so as to cover the top face of the magnetic pole layer 16 and is adjacent to the magnetic pole layer 16 .
- the level of the top face of the gap layer portion 17 A is, for example, higher than that of the gap layer portion 17 B.
- the write shield layer 18 is provided to contain a spread portion of the magnetic flux emitted from the magnetic pole layer 16 and to prevent the spread of the magnetic flux.
- the write shield layer 18 extends from the air bearing surface 20 to the flare point FP and surrounds the tip portion 16 A of the magnetic layer 16 from the three directions.
- the three directions denotes a trailing direction (medium outflow direction) with respect to the position in which the magnetic pole layer 16 is disposed as a reference and two side directions orthogonal to the trailing direction (hereinbelow, also simply called “three directions”).
- the “trailing direction” is a direction of outflow of a recording medium when a moving state of the recording medium traveling in the medium travel direction B (refer to FIGS.
- the trailing direction is an upward direction in the thickness direction (Z-axis direction).
- the direction of inflow is called a “leading direction (medium inflow direction)” and is a downward direction in the thickness direction.
- the “two side directions” denote both directions in width (rightward and leftward directions in the X-axis direction).
- the write shield layer 18 is connected to the auxiliary return yoke layer 10 via two connection holes J provided so as to penetrate both of the insulating layer 12 and the gap layer portion 17 A.
- the write shield layer 18 has a rectangular shape (having the width W 3 ) in plan view. The number of the connection holes J and the positions of the connection holes J can be arbitrarily set.
- the thin film magnetic head at the time of recording information, when a current flows into the thin film coil 13 of the recording head portion 100 B via a not-shown external circuit, a magnetic flux is generated by the thin film coil 13 .
- the magnetic flux generated at this time is contained by the magnetic pole layer 16 and flows from the rear end portion 16 B to the tip portion 16 A in the magnetic pole layer 16 . Since the magnetic flux flowing in the magnetic pole layer 16 is converged at the flare point FP as the width of the magnetic pole layer 16 decreases, the magnetic flux is concentrated in the trailing side portion of the tip portion 16 A.
- a recording magnetic field is generated in the direction orthogonal to the surface of a recording medium and the recording medium is magnetized in the perpendicular direction by the recording magnetic field, thereby magnetically recording information onto the recording medium.
- the spread component of the magnetic flux emitted from the tip portion 16 A is contained by the write shield layer 18 , so that the spread of the magnetic flux is prevented.
- the magnetic flux contained by the write shield layer 18 flows into the auxiliary return yoke layer 10 via the connection holes J and further flows into the return yoke layer 8 .
- the magnetic flux which has magnetized the recording medium is returned to the return yoke layer 8 via the auxiliary return yoke layer 10 .
- the resistance value of the MR device 6 changes according to a signal magnetic field for reproducing from the recording medium. Since the resistance change is detected as a change in the sense current, the information recorded on the recording medium is magnetically read.
- FIGS. 4A and 4B to FIG. 18 are diagrams for explaining processes of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head.
- FIGS. 4A and 4B to FIGS. 11A and 11B show sectional configurations corresponding to FIGS. 1A and 1B.
- FIGS. 12 to 18 are plan views showing configurations corresponding to FIGS. 5A and 5B to FIGS. 11A and 11B, respectively.
- FIG. 19 is a plan view showing the configuration for explaining an example of formation of the seed layer 15 .
- FIG. 20 shows dependency on an incident angle of an etching rate. The lateral axis of FIG.
- 20 denotes the incident angle ⁇ (°) of an ion beam and the vertical axis indicates the etching rate (nm/minute). “20A” indicates an etching rate to a photoresist, and “20B” indicates an etching rate to alumina.
- a plurality of thin film magnetic heads are manufactured in a lump by, for example, sequentially forming components in parallel in a plurality of positions on a wafer and stacking the components by mainly using a thin film process including a film forming technique such as plating and sputtering, a patterning technique such as photolithography technique, and an etching technique such as dry etching.
- a film forming technique such as plating and sputtering
- a patterning technique such as photolithography technique
- an etching technique such as dry etching.
- the isolation layer 7 is formed on the reproducing head portion 100 A.
- the isolation layer 7 by sequentially stacking the return yoke layer 8 buried by the insulating layer 9 , the auxiliary return yoke layer 10 , yoke layer 11 and thin film coil 13 buried by the insulating layers 12 and 14 , seed layer 15 , magnetic pole layer 16 covered with the gap layer 17 , and write shield layer 18 , the recording head portion 100 B is formed.
- the overcoat layer 19 is formed on the recording head portion 100 B and, after that, the air bearing surface 20 is formed by using mechanical process and polishing process, thereby completing the thin film magnetic head.
- the insulating layers 12 and 14 are formed so as to bury the auxiliary return yoke layer 10 , yoke layer 11 , and thin film coil 13 , and a flat surface M 1 is constructed by the insulating layers 12 and 14 and the yoke layer 11 .
- a precursor seed layer 15 Z made of a magnetic material such as permalloy or a metal material such as copper is formed to a thickness of about 0.01 ⁇ m to 0.1 ⁇ m on the flat surface M 1 by using sputtering or the like.
- the precursor seed layer 15 Z is etched and patterned, thereby forming the seed layer 15 in a pattern as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B and FIG. 12.
- the seed layer 15 is formed so that, for example, its outline becomes larger than the outline of the magnetic pole layer 16 to be formed in a post process.
- the back gap 15 BG is formed in the seed layer 15 .
- a lead layer 50 for energization is patterned together with the seed layer 15 on a wafer 40 , and the seed layer 15 is disposed for each region (thin film magnetic head formation region) R surrounded by the lead layer 50 , and each seed layer 15 is connected to the lead layer 50 .
- Closing lines D in FIG. 19 express portions to be diced in the wafer 40 after completion of the thin film magnetic heads.
- a photoresist is applied on the seed layer 15 and patterned by using the photolithography technique, thereby forming a precursor photoresist layer 31 Z in a pattern as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B and FIG. 12.
- a portion (corresponding portion) 31 ZP having a width W 10 larger than the width W 1 (W 10 >W 1 ) of the tip portion 16 A of the magnetic pole layer 16 is included.
- a photoresist layer 31 (first photoresist layer) is patterned so as to include a corresponding portion 31 P having the width W 1 and have a shape in plan view corresponding to the shape in plan view of the magnetic pole layer 16 .
- the gap layer portion 17 A made of alumina is formed to a thickness equal to or less than about 0.2 ⁇ m, concretely, about 0.1 ⁇ m so as to cover the photoresist layer 31 and its peripheral region.
- the photoresist layer 32 (second photoresist layer) is formed so as to cover the gap layer portion 17 A.
- the photoresist layer 32 is formed so that, for example, the gap layer portion 17 A is buried, that is, the level of the top face of the photoresist layer 32 is higher than that of the gap layer portion 17 A.
- the photoresist layer 32 , gap layer portion 17 A, and photoresist layer 31 are etched (over-etched) part way, thereby exposing the photoresist layer 31 as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B and FIG. 15.
- ion beams are emitted from directions each forming an incident angle ⁇ in a range from about 65° to 70° with a direction S orthogonal to the extended surface of the photoresist layer 32 .
- the etching rate ( 20 A) to the photoresist (photoresist layers 31 and 32 ) and the etching rate ( 20 B) to alumina (gap layer portion 17 A) become close to each other and the photoresist and alumina are etched to almost the same extent. Therefore, the photoresist layers 31 and 32 and the gap layer portion 17 A are etched so as to be almost planarized.
- the etching rate to the photoresist becomes slightly higher than the etching rate to alumina. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the photoresist layers 31 and 32 are excessively etched more than the gap layer portion 17 A.
- a magnetic pole formation region T which is surrounded by the gap layer portion 17 A is formed in a region from which the photoresist layer 31 has been removed, and the seed layer 15 is exposed in the magnetic pole formation region T.
- the magnetic pole formation region T is a region in which the magnetic pole layer 16 is to be formed in a post process and is a space region in which the plane shape of the photoresist layer 31 is transferred.
- the etching amount of the gap layer portion 17 A is adjusted in a preceding process so that the depth H of the magnetic pole formation region T becomes equal to or larger than the thickness of the magnetic pole layer 16 .
- the magnetic pole layer 16 is formed so as to include, from the front side, the tip portion 16 A having the width W 1 and the rear end portion 16 B connected to the tip portion 16 A.
- the plating film made of a non-magnetic metal material such as rhodium (Rh) or a non-magnetic metal compound material such as nickel phosphorus (NiP) is grown on the magnetic pole layer 16 in the magnetic pole formation region T by continuously using the seed layer 15 , thereby forming the gap layer portion 17 B to the thickness of about 0.05 ⁇ m as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B and FIG. 17.
- the magnetic pole layer 16 is surrounded by the gap layer 17 consisting of the gap layer portions 17 A and 17 B from the three directions.
- the tip portion 16 A of the magnetic pole layer 16 is surrounded from the three directions of the trailing direction (upward direction in the drawing) and two side directions (lateral directions in the drawing). In such a manner, the main components of the recording head portion 100 B are completed.
- the thin film magnetic head having the write shield layer 18 disposed so as to surround the tip portion 16 A of the magnetic pole layer 16 from three directions can be formed easily with high precision for the following three reasons.
- FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the advantage of the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the problem of the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head as a comparative example of the embodiment.
- FIGS. 21 and 22 shows an enlarged sectional configuration of the main components of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIG. 1A.
- the main components of the thin film magnetic head of the comparative example include: the magnetic pole layer 116 (tip portion 116 A); the write shield layer 118 constructed by three portions (write shield layer portions 118 A, 118 B, and 118 C) and disposed so as to surround the magnetic pole layer 116 from three directions; and the gap layer 117 constructed by three portions (gap layer portions 117 A, 117 B, and 117 C) and disposed so as to be sandwiched by the magnetic pole layer 116 and the write shield layer 118 .
- the main components of the thin film magnetic head are formed, for example, by the following procedure.
- the gap layer portions 117 A and 117 B are formed so as to bury the gap D 2 , thereby constructing the flat face M 2 .
- the gap layer portion 117 C is formed so as to cover the trailing side of the magnetic pole layer 116 .
- the write shield layer portion 118 C is formed on the gap layer portion 117 C so as to be connected to the write shield layer portions 118 A and 118 B. In such a manner, the main components of the thin film magnetic head are completed.
- the write shield layer 118 can be formed so as to surround the magnetic pole layer 116 from three directions.
- the gap D 2 is specified on the basis of pattern precision of the photolithography technique employed at the time of forming the write shield layer portions 118 A and 118 B, so that the formation precision of the gap D 2 is not sufficiently high.
- the gap D 2 is one of factors exerting an influence on the recording characteristics. Concretely, when the gap D 2 is too narrow, the magnetic flux emitted from the magnetic pole layer 116 does not easily spread to both sides but the recording magnetic field intensity deteriorates. On the other hand, when the gap D 2 is too wide, the recording magnetic field intensity is high but the magnetic flux tends to spread to both sides. Consequently, the gap D 2 has to be controlled with high precision to a desired value. In the comparative example, precision of formation of the gap D 2 is insufficient, so that the gap D 2 cannot be controlled with high precision.
- the gap D 1 between the magnetic pole layer 16 and the write shield layer 18 is specified on the basis of the thickness of the gap layer portion 17 A.
- the gap D 1 is controlled on the basis of film formation time of sputtering at the time of forming the gap layer portion 17 A, so that the formation precision of the gap D 1 becomes sufficient. Therefore, the gap D 1 can be controlled with high precision. Concretely, for example, the gap D 1 can be controlled with high precision so as to achieve a very narrow width of about 0.1 ⁇ m or less.
- the thickness of the magnetic pole layer 16 can be controlled with high precision.
- the whole has to be polished by using a polishing technique such as CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing).
- CMP Chemical Mechanical Polishing
- the thickness C 2 of the magnetic pole layer 116 is specified on the basis of the polishing precision, so that the formation precision of the thickness C 2 of the magnetic pole layer 116 is insufficient.
- the thickness C 1 of the magnetic pole layer 16 is specified on the basis of the thickness of the film formed at the time of the plating process.
- the thickness C 1 of the magnetic pole layer 16 is controlled on the basis of the process time (film formation time) of the plating process, so that the formation precision of the thickness C 1 is assured.
- the thickness C 1 of the magnetic pole layer 16 can be controlled with high precision.
- the write shield layer 18 having the characteristic configuration of surrounding the tip portion 16 A of the magnetic pole layer 16 from three directions can be easily formed.
- the write shield layer 118 is constructed by three portions (write shield layer portions 118 A, 118 B, and 118 C), to form the write shield layer 118 , as described above, at least two processes of a process of forming the write shield layer portions 118 A and 118 B and a process of forming the write shield layer portion 118 C are necessary. In this case, the process of forming the write shield layer 118 becomes complicated and long time is required.
- the embodiment in the embodiment (refer to FIG.
- the write shield layer 18 is formed as a single body, so that a single process is necessary to form the write shield layer 18 and the process of forming the write shield layer 18 is facilitated.
- the polishing process is not required, so that the forming process is facilitated also from this viewpoint. Therefore, the write shield layer 18 can be easily formed.
- the seed layer 15 is formed so as to be in a predetermined pattern shape by patterning the precursor seed layer 15 Z, and the seed layer 15 is selectively disposed only in necessary portions.
- the magnetic pole layer 16 and the gap layer portion 17 B are formed by using the seed layer 15 . Consequently, different from the case where the seed layer 15 is formed on the whole surface without being patterned, it is unnecessary to remove unnecessary portions of the seed layer 15 after forming the magnetic pole layer 16 and the like. Therefore, in this viewpoint as well, the invention can contribute to facilitate the manufacturing of the thin film magnetic head.
- the gap layer portions 17 A and 17 B constructing the gap layer 17 are formed in different processes. Different from the case of integrally forming the gap layer portions 17 A and 17 B in a single process, the thickness of each of the gap layer portions 17 A and 17 B can be controlled independently. For example, the gap layer 17 can be formed so that the gap layer portion 17 A is thicker than the gap layer portion 17 B.
- the plurality of seed layers 15 are connected to the lead layer 50 on the wafer 40 , so that current can be simultaneously passed to the plurality of seed layers 15 by using the lead layer 50 .
- the wafer 40 is diced and the lead layer 50 is removed, thereby enabling the seed layers 15 to be electrically isolated from each other.
- the outline of the seed layer 15 is set to be larger than that of the magnetic pole layer 16 . Consequently, even if the formation position of the seed layer 15 is deviated a little, the magnetic pole layer 16 can be stably formed by using the seed layer 15 .
- the seed layer 15 is used at the time of forming the magnetic pole layer 16 and the gap layer portion 17 B by using the plating process. It is therefore unnecessary to form a seed layer each time the magnetic pole layer 16 or the gap layer portion 17 B is formed.
- the invention can contribute to facilitate the manufacturing of the thin film magnetic head also from this viewpoint.
- the precursor photoresist layer 31 Z including the corresponding portion 31 ZP (having width W 10 ) is formed and, after that, the corresponding portion 31 ZP is narrowed from W 10 to W 1 by ashing the precursor photoresist layer 31 Z. Consequently, by using the ashing process on the photoresist, the corresponding portion 31 P can be formed with high precision so as to have the very narrow width W 1 which cannot be realized with the pattern precision of the photolithography technique. Accordingly, the tip portion 16 A of the magnetic pole layer 16 can be also formed with high precision.
- the width of the corresponding portion 31 P which can be formed with sufficiently high precision at the time of using the photolithography technique is about 0.2 ⁇ m.
- the corresponding portion 31 P can be formed with high precision so that its width becomes less than about 0.2 ⁇ m.
- a method of forming the corresponding portion 31 ZP having the width W 10 and, after that, narrowing the width of the corresponding portion 31 ZP by using an etching technique such as ion milling can be also employed.
- the precision of the narrowing process by the ashing process to a width less than about 0.2 ⁇ m is higher than that of the etching technique. Therefore, it is preferable to use the ashing process at the time of forming the corresponding portion 31 P with high precision.
- the incident angle 0 of an ion beam is set within the range from 65° to 70°, so that the etching rate of the photoresist layers 31 and 32 and that of the gap layer portion 17 A become close to each other and the photoresist layers 31 and 32 and the gap layer portion 17 A are etched so as to be almost planarized.
- etching process can be performed in shorter time.
- the depth H of the magnetic pole formation region T is set to be larger than the thickness C 1 of the magnetic pole layer 16 , so that the depth H has a margin with respect to the thickness Cl. Therefore, an inconvenience which may occur in the case where the depth H is made coincide with the thickness C 1 , that is, an inconvenience that the magnetic pole layer 16 is formed thickly due to a formation precision error of the thickness C 1 or the like and, as a result, the magnetic pole layer 16 and the write shield layer 18 are unintentionally connected to each other can be avoided.
- the thin film magnetic head according to the embodiment has the gap layer portions 17 A adjacent to the magnetic pole layer 16 in the two side directions, the gap layer portion 17 B adjacent to the magnetic pole layer 16 in the trailing direction, and the write shield layer 18 surrounding the tip portion 16 A of the magnetic pole layer 16 from three directions of the trailing direction and the two side directions via the gap layer portions 17 A and 17 B. Consequently, the thin film magnetic head can be manufactured by using the method of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head according to the embodiment.
- the outline of the seed layer 15 is set to be larger than that of the magnetic pole layer 16
- the invention is not limited to the arrangement.
- the outline of the seed layer 15 may be equal to that of the magnetic pole layer 16 .
- effects similar to those of the foregoing embodiment can be obtained.
- the depth H of the magnetic pole formation region T is set to be larger than the thickness C 1 of the magnetic pole layer 16 .
- the invention is not always limited to this arrangement.
- the depth H may be equal to the thickness C 1 .
- effects similar to those of the foregoing embodiment can be obtained.
- the photoresist layer 32 , gap layer portion 17 A, and photoresist layer 31 are over-etched.
- the invention is not always limited to the arrangement.
- only the photoresist layer 32 and the gap layer portion 17 A may be over-etched. In this case as well, effects similar to those of the foregoing embodiment can be obtained.
- FIGS. 11A and 11B the write shield layer 18 is formed by the single process.
- the invention is not always limited to the method but, for example, the write shield layer 18 may be formed by a plurality of processes.
- FIGS. 25A and 25B to FIGS. 30A and 30B are diagrams for explaining three modifications of the method of forming the write shield layer 18 .
- FIGS. 25A and 25B to FIGS. 27A and 27B show a first modification.
- FIGS. 28A and 28B to FIGS. 29A and 29B show a second modification.
- FIGS. 30A and 30B show a third modification.
- the gap layer 17 B is formed.
- the photoresist film is patterned by using the photolithography technique, thereby forming a frame pattern 33 so as to cover the region other than the formation region of the write shield layer 18 .
- a write shield layer portion 18 A first magnetic shield layer portion
- FIGS. 10A and 10B the gap layer 17 B is formed.
- a write shield layer portion 18 B (second magnetic shield layer portion) as another part of the write shield layer 18 is formed so as to cover the gap layer portion 17 A, write shield layer portion 18 A, and frame pattern 33 .
- the front portion of the write shield layer portion 18 A is set to surround the tip portion 16 A of the magnetic pole layer 16 from three directions of the trailing direction and two side directions.
- the frame pattern 33 is lifted off together with the excessive write shield layer portion 18 B while partially leaving the write shield layer portion 18 B, thereby forming the write shield layer 18 as an assembly of the write shield layer portions 18 A and 18 B as shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B.
- the frame pattern 33 is formed together with the write shield layer portion 18 A by using a method similar to that of the first modification.
- a seed layer 25 for performing a plating process is formed by using, for example, sputtering so as to cover the gap layer portion 17 A, write shield layer portion 18 A, and frame pattern 33 .
- the seed layer 25 for example, by partly connecting the seed layer 25 to the seed layer 15 , current can be passed to the seed layer 25 via the seed layer 15 .
- the write shield layer portion 18 B is formed in a pattern.
- the write shield layer 18 including the write shield layer portions 18 A and 18 B is formed.
- the write shield layer portion 18 A is formed by using a method similar to that of the first modification and the frame pattern 33 used to form the write shield layer portion 18 A is removed. After that, first, as shown in FIGS. 30A and 30B, a seed layer 35 for performing a plating process is formed in a pattern in a region in which the write shield layer portion 18 B is to be formed in a post process on the gap layer portion 17 A and the write shield layer portion 18 A.
- a precursor seed layer (not shown) for forming the seed layer 35 is formed on the whole face and is patterned by using the photolithography technique and the etching technique.
- a frame pattern 34 is formed so as to cover the region other than the formation region of the write shield layer portion 18 B.
- the write shield layer portion 18 B is formed. After that, by removing the frame pattern 34 , the write shield layer 18 including the write shield layer portions 18 A and 18 B is formed.
- the gap layer portions 17 A and 17 B are adjacent to the whole magnetic pole layer 16 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B in the embodiment, the invention is not always limited to the configuration.
- the gap layer portions 17 A and 17 B may be adjacent only to the tip portion 16 A of the magnetic pole layer 16 .
- the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head having the configuration is substantially the same as that described in the foregoing embodiment except for the point that the gap layer portion 17 A is formed so as to be adjacent only to the tip portion 16 A in two side directions and the gap layer portion 17 B is formed so as to be adjacent only to the tip portion 16 A in the trailing direction.
- the invention has been described by the embodiment and modifications, the invention is not limited to the embodiments but may be variously modified. Concretely, for example, the case of applying the invention to a single magnetic pole type head has been described in the foregoing embodiment. The invention, however, is not always limited to the case but can be applied to a ring-type head. Although the case of applying the invention to a composite thin film magnetic head has been described in the foregoing embodiment, the invention is not always limited to the case but can be applied to, for example, a recording-only thin film magnetic head having an inductive magnetic transducer for writing and a thin film magnetic head having an inductive magnetic transducer for both recording and reproducing. Obviously, the invention can be also applied to a thin film magnetic head in which a device for writing and a device for reading are stacked in the order opposite to the above-described order.
- a magnetic pole layer and a second gap layer are formed, and the magnetic pole layer is covered with the first and second gap layers from three directions.
- a magnetic shield layer is formed on the first and second gap layer so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer from three directions. Consequently, based on the characteristic manufacturing process, the thin film magnetic head in which the magnetic shield layer is disposed so as to surround the magnetic pole layer from three directions of the medium outflow direction and two side directions can be easily formed with high precision.
- a magnetic pole tip portion and a second gap layer are formed, and the magnetic pole tip portion is surrounded from three directions by the first and second gap layers.
- a magnetic shield layer is formed on the first and second gap layer portions so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions of the medium outflow direction and two side directions.
- the thin film magnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention has: the first gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in two side directions; the second gap layer disposed adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in the medium outflow direction; and the magnetic shield layer surrounding the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers.
- the thin film magnetic head can be manufactured by using the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention.
- the thin film magnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention has: the first gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in two side directions; the second gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in the medium outflow direction; and the magnetic shield layer surrounding the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers.
- the thin film magnetic head can be manufactured by using the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention.
- the invention in addition to the above, in the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention, by forming the magnetic pole layer and the second gap layer by using a seed layer, the invention can contribute to facilitate manufacturing of the thin film magnetic head also from this viewpoint.
- the magnetic pole layer can be stably formed by using the seed layer.
- a precursor photoresist layer is formed so as to include a portion having a width larger than the width of the magnetic pole tip portion and, after that, a second photoresist layer is formed by narrowing the width of the portion by ashing the precursor photoresist layer. Consequently, the second photoresist layer can be formed with high precision so as to have a very narrow width which cannot be realized by pattern precision of the photolithography technique and, accordingly, the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer can be also formed with high precision.
Abstract
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a thin film magnetic head having at least an inductive magnetic transducer for recording and a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a thin film magnetic head having a write shield layer for preventing spread of a magnetic flux emitted from a magnetic pole layer and a method of manufacturing the same.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- In recent years, improvement in performance of a thin film magnetic head is demanded with improvement in areal density of a magnetic recording medium (hereinbelow, simply called “recording medium”) such as a hard disk. Examples of a known method of recording a thin film magnetic head are a longitudinal recording method in which the orientation of a signal magnetic field is set to an in-plane direction (longitudinal direction) of a recording medium and a perpendicular recording method in which the orientation of a signal magnetic field is set to a direction orthogonal to the face of a recording medium. At present, the longitudinal recording method is widely used. However, when a market trend accompanying improvement in areal density is considered, it is assumed that, in place of the longitudinal recording method, the perpendicular recording method will be regarded as a promising method in future for the following reason. The perpendicular recording method has advantages such that high linear recording density can be assured and a recorded recording medium is not easily influenced by thermal fluctuations.
- A thin film magnetic head of the perpendicular recording method has, for example, a thin film coil for generating a magnetic flux, a magnetic pole layer for emitting the magnetic flux generated by the thin film coil toward a recording medium, and a write shield layer (magnetic shield layer) for preventing spread of a magnetic flux emitted from the magnetic pole layer. As a thin film magnetic head of this kind, a thin film magnetic head in which a write shield layer is disposed on a trailing side of the magnetic pole layer (medium outflow side) is known (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Nos. 05-325137 and 06-236526). Another example of the known methods is a method of disposing a write shield layer so as to surround a magnetic pole layer from three directions of a trailing direction and two side directions which are orthogonal to the trailing direction in order to effectively prevent spread of a magnetic flux (refer to, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,546). The thin film magnetic heads have an advantage of improved recording density since a recording track width on a recording medium is narrowed on the basis of prevention of spread of a magnetic flux.
- To spread a thin film magnetic head of the perpendicular recording method, it is necessary to facilitate the manufacturing process as much as possible in consideration of mass production. Although the conventional thin film magnetic head in which the write shield layer is disposed so as to surround the magnetic pole layer from the three directions of the trailing direction and the two side directions is very excellent from the viewpoint of prevention of spread of a magnetic flux, the head has problems such that the process of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head is difficult and the processing precision in manufacture is insufficient. Consequently, at the time of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head of this kind, it is desired to establish an easy, high-precision manufacturing process.
- The present invention has been achieved in consideration of such problems and its first object is to provide a method capable of easily manufacturing a thin film magnetic head at high precision, in which a magnetic shield layer is disposed so as to surround a magnetic pole layer from three directions of a medium outflow direction and two side directions orthogonal to the medium outflow direction.
- A second object of the invention is to provide a thin film magnetic head manufactured by using the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention.
- A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to a first aspect of the invention, comprising a thin film coil for generating a magnetic flux and a magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole tip portion for emitting the magnetic flux generated by the thin film coil toward a recording medium traveling in a predetermined medium travel direction, comprises: a first step of forming a first photoresist layer in a pattern so as to have a shape in plan view corresponding to a shape in plan view of the magnetic pole layer; a second step of forming a first gap layer so as to cover the first photoresist layer and a peripheral region of the first photoresist layer; a third step of forming a second photoresist layer so as to cover the first gap layer; a fourth step of exposing the first photoresist layer by etching at least the second photoresist layer and the first gap layer halfway; a fifth step of removing the first and second photoresist layers to thereby form a magnetic pole formation region surrounded by the first gap layer in a region from which the first photoresist layer is removed; a sixth step of forming the magnetic pole layer in a pattern in the magnetic pole formation region so as to extend from a recording medium facing surface which faces the recording medium in the direction away from the recording medium facing surface; a seventh step of forming a second gap layer in a pattern on the magnetic pole layer to thereby surround the magnetic pole layer from three directions of a medium outflow direction in the medium travel direction and two side directions orthogonal to the medium outflow direction by the first and second gap layers; and an eighth step of forming a magnetic shield layer in a pattern on the first and second gap layers so as to extend from the recording medium facing surface in the direction away from the recording medium facing surface and to surround the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer from the three directions.
- In the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention, in a magnetic pole formation region surrounded by a first gap layer, a magnetic pole layer and a second gap layer are formed, and the magnetic pole layer is covered with the first and second gap layers from three directions. After that, a magnetic shield layer is formed on the first and second gap layer portions so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer from three directions.
- A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to a second aspect of the invention, comprising a thin film coil for generating a magnetic flux and a magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole tip portion for emitting the magnetic flux generated by the thin film coil toward a recording medium traveling in a predetermined medium travel direction, comprises: a first step of forming a first photoresist layer in a pattern so as to have a shape in plan view corresponding to a shape in plan view of the magnetic pole tip portion; a second step of forming a first gap layer so as to cover the first photoresist layer and a peripheral region of the first photoresist layer; a third step of forming a second photoresist layer so as to cover the first gap layer; a fourth step of exposing the first photoresist layer by etching at least the second photoresist layer and the first gap layer halfway; a fifth step of removing the first and second photoresist layers to thereby form a magnetic pole tip formation region surrounded by the first gap layer in a region from which the first photoresist layer is removed; a sixth step of forming the magnetic pole tip portion in a pattern in the magnetic pole tip formation region so as to extend from a recording medium facing surface which faces the recording medium in the direction away from the recording medium facing surface; a seventh step of forming a second gap layer in a pattern on the magnetic pole tip portion to thereby surround the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions of a medium outflow direction in the medium travel direction and two side directions orthogonal to the medium outflow direction by the first and second gap layers; and an eighth step of forming a magnetic shield layer in a pattern on the first and second gap layers so as to extend from the recording medium facing surface in the direction away from the recording medium facing surface and to surround the magnetic pole tip portion from the three directions.
- In the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention, in a magnetic pole tip formation region surrounded by a first gap layer, a magnetic pole tip portion and a second gap layer are formed, and the magnetic pole tip portion is surrounded from three directions by the first and second gap layers. After that, a magnetic shield layer is formed on the first and second gap layer portions so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions.
- A thin film magnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention comprises: a thin film coil for generating a magnetic flux; a magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole tip portion for emitting the magnetic flux generated by the thin film coil toward a recording medium traveling in a predetermined medium travel direction, and extending from a recording medium facing surface which faces the recording medium in the direction away from the recording medium facing surface; a first gap layer disposed so as to be adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in two side directions orthogonal to the medium outflow direction in the medium travel direction; a second gap layer disposed so as to be adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in the medium outflow direction; and a magnetic shield layer disposed so as to extend from the recording medium facing surface in the direction away from the recording medium facing surface and so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers.
- The thin film magnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention has: the first gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in two side directions; the second gap layer disposed adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in the medium outflow direction; and the magnetic shield layer surrounding the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers. Thus, the thin film magnetic head can be manufactured by using the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention.
- A thin film magnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention comprises: a thin film coil for generating a magnetic flux; a magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole tip portion for emitting the magnetic flux generated by the thin film coil toward a recording medium traveling in a predetermined medium travel direction, and extending from a recording medium facing surface which faces the recording medium in a direction away from the recording medium facing surface; a first gap layer disposed so as to be adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in two side directions orthogonal to the medium outflow direction in the medium travel direction; a second gap layer disposed so as to be adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in the medium outflow direction; and a magnetic shield layer disposed so as to extend from the recording medium facing surface in the direction away from the recording medium facing surface and so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers.
- The thin film magnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention has: the first gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in two side directions; the second gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in the medium outflow direction; and the magnetic shield layer surrounding the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers. Thus, the thin film magnetic head can be manufactured by using the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention.
- Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B are cross sections showing a sectional configuration of a thin film magnetic head according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of main components of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of main components of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
- FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross sections for explaining one of processes of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B to FIG. 3.
- FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 4A and 4B.
- FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 5A and 5B.
- FIGS. 7A and 7B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 6A and 6B.
- FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 7A and 7B.
- FIGS. 9A and 9B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 8A and 8B.
- FIGS. 10A and 10B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 9A and 9B.
- FIGS. 11A and 11B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 10A and 10B.
- FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B.
- FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B.
- FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B.
- FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B.
- FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B.
- FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B.
- FIG. 18 is a plan view showing the configuration corresponding to the sectional configuration illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B.
- FIG. 19 is a plan view showing the configuration for explaining an example of formation of a seed layer.
- FIG. 20 is a diagram showing dependency on an incident angle of etching rate.
- FIG. 21 is a cross section for explaining an advantage of a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 22 is a cross section for explaining problems of a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head as a comparative example of the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 23 is a cross section showing a modification of the configuration of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIG. 21.
- FIG. 24 is a cross section showing another modification of the configuration of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIG. 21.
- FIGS. 25A and 25B are cross sections for explaining one of forming processes of a first modification of the method of forming a write shield layer.
- FIGS. 26A and 26B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 25A and 25B.
- FIGS. 27A and 27B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 26A and 26B.
- FIGS. 28A and 28B are cross sections for explaining one of forming processes of a second modification of the method of forming the write shield layer.
- FIGS. 29A and 29B are cross sections showing a process subsequent to FIGS. 28A and 28B.
- FIGS. 30A and 30B are cross sections for explaining a process in a manufacturing process of a third modification of the method of forming the write shield layer.
- FIGS. 31A and 31B are cross sections showing a modification of the process of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
- Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail hereinbelow with reference to the drawings.
- First, the configuration of a thin film magnetic head according to an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B to FIG. 3. FIGS. 1A and 1B show sectional configurations of a thin film magnetic head. FIG. 1A shows a section parallel to an
air bearing surface 20 and FIG. 1B shows a section perpendicular to theair bearing surface 20. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of main components of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the main components. An upward arrow B shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B indicates the travel direction of a recording medium (not shown) relative to the thin film magnetic head (medium travel direction). - In the following description, the distance in the X-axis direction shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B to FIG. 3 will be described as “width”, the distance in the Y-axis direction will be described as “length”, and the distance in the Z-axis direction will be described as “thickness, height, or depth”. The side closer to the
air bearing surface 20 in the Y-axis direction will be described as “front side or forward” and the side opposite to the front side will be described as “rear side or rearward”. The description will be similarly used in FIGS. 4A and 4B and subsequent drawings. - The thin film magnetic head is, for example, a composite head capable of executing the functions of both recording and reproducing. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the thin film magnetic head has a configuration obtained by stacking, on a
substrate 1 made of a ceramic material such as AlTiC (Al2O3.TiC), an insulatinglayer 2 made of a non-magnetic insulating material such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3, hereinbelow, simply called “alumina”), a reproducinghead portion 100A for executing a reproducing process by using a magneto-resistive (MR) effect, anisolation layer 7 made of a non-magnetic insulating material such as alumina, arecording head portion 100B of a single magnetic pole type for executing a recording process of a perpendicular recording method, and anovercoat layer 19 made of a non-magnetic insulating material such as alumina. The layers are stacked in this order. - The reproducing
head portion 100A has, for example, a configuration in which alower shield layer 3, ashield gap film 4, and anupper shield layer 5 are stacked in this order. In theshield gap film 4, anMR device 6 as a reproducing device is buried so that one end face is exposed in the recording medium facing surface (air bearing surface) 20 which faces a recording medium. - The lower and upper shield layers3 and 5 are made of, for example, a magnetic material such as a nickel iron alloy (NiFe (for example, Ni: 80% by weight and Fe: 20% by weight) which will be simply called “permalloy (trademark)” hereinbelow). Each of the layers has a thickness of about 1.0 μm to 2.0 μm. The
shield gap film 4 is used to electrically isolate theMR device 6 from the periphery and is made of, for example, a non-magnetic insulating material such as alumina. TheMR device 6 is provided to execute a reproducing process by using GMR (Giant Magneto-resistive) or TMR (Tunneling Magneto-resistive) effect. - The
recording head portion 100B has a configuration obtained by, for example, sequentially stacking areturn yoke layer 8 buried by an insulatinglayer 9, an auxiliaryreturn yoke layer 10, ayoke layer 11, and athin film coil 13 buried by insulatinglayers seed layer 15 having an opening (back gap 15BG) for connection, amagnetic pole layer 16 covered with agap layer 17, and a write shield layer (magnetic shield layer) 18. FIG. 2 shows thereturn yoke layer 8, auxiliaryreturn yoke layer 10,yoke layer 11,thin film coil 13,seed layer 15,magnetic pole layer 16, and writeshield layer 18 in therecording head portion 100B. FIG. 3 shows theseed layer 15,magnetic pole layer 16,gap layer 17, and writeshield layer 18. - The
return yoke layer 8 is provided to return a magnetic flux emitted from themagnetic pole layer 16 and magnetized a recording medium and is made of, for example, a magnetic material such as permalloy or an iron cobalt nickel (FeCoNi) alloy. Thereturn yoke layer 8 extends in the direction apart from theair bearing surface 20 and has, for example, a rectangular shape (having a width W3) in plan view. The auxiliaryreturn yoke layer 10 is provided to lead the magnetic flux used for recording to thereturn yoke layer 8, is exposed from theair bearing surface 20 and connected to thereturn yoke layer 8. Theyoke layer 11 is provided to connect thereturn yoke layer 8 and themagnetic pole layer 16, recessed from theair bearing surface 20 and connected to thereturn yoke layer 8. Each of the auxiliaryreturn yoke layer 10 and theyoke layer 11 is made of, for example, a magnetic material as that of thereturn yoke layer 8 and has a rectangular shape (having the width W3) in plan view. “Connection” in the specification means not only a simple contact but also a contact and magnetic conduction. The insulatinglayer 9 is made of, for example, a non-magnetic insulating material such as alumina. - The
thin film coil 13 is provided to generate a magnetic flux for recording. Thethin film coil 13 has, for example, a winding structure that a wire is wound in a spiral shape around theyoke layer 11 as a center, and is made of a high-conductive material such as copper (Cu). In each of FIGS. 1A, 1B and FIG. 2, only a part of a plurality of turns constructing thethin film coil 13 is shown. The insulating layers 12 and 14 are provided to electrically isolate thethin film coil 13 from the periphery and are made of, for example, a non-magnetic insulating material such as alumina. - The
seed layer 15 is used for performing a plating process and has, for example, a shape in plan view corresponding to the shape in plan view of themagnetic pole layer 16. - The
magnetic pole layer 16 is provided to contain the magnetic flux generated by thethin film coil 13 and emit the magnetic flux toward a recording medium, and extends from theair bearing surface 20 in the direction apart from theair bearing surface 20. Themagnetic pole layer 16 includes, for example, atip portion 16A (magnetic pole tip portion) extending from theair bearing surface 20 in the direction apart from theair bearing surface 20 and having a uniform width W1 (=about 0.15 μm) specifying the recording track width, and arear end portion 16B connected to the rear end of thetip portion 16A and having a width W2 larger than the width W1 of thetip portion 16A (W2>W1). Therear end portion 16B has the uniform width W2 in its rear part and is gradually tapered to thetip portion 16A. The position from which the width of themagnetic pole layer 16 increases from thetip portion 16A (width W1) to therear end portion 16B (width W2) is called a flare point FP. - The
gap layer 17 is provided to construct a gap for providing magnetic isolation between themagnetic layer 16 and thewrite shield layer 18. Thegap layer 17 includes agap layer portion 17A (first gap layer) which is disposed so as to cover the side faces and a peripheral area of themagnetic layer 16 and is adjacent to themagnetic pole layer 16, and agap layer portion 17B (second gap layer) disposed so as to cover the top face of themagnetic pole layer 16 and is adjacent to themagnetic pole layer 16. The level of the top face of thegap layer portion 17A is, for example, higher than that of thegap layer portion 17B. - The
write shield layer 18 is provided to contain a spread portion of the magnetic flux emitted from themagnetic pole layer 16 and to prevent the spread of the magnetic flux. For example, thewrite shield layer 18 extends from theair bearing surface 20 to the flare point FP and surrounds thetip portion 16A of themagnetic layer 16 from the three directions. The three directions denotes a trailing direction (medium outflow direction) with respect to the position in which themagnetic pole layer 16 is disposed as a reference and two side directions orthogonal to the trailing direction (hereinbelow, also simply called “three directions”). The “trailing direction” is a direction of outflow of a recording medium when a moving state of the recording medium traveling in the medium travel direction B (refer to FIGS. 1A and 1B) is regarded as a flow. In this case, the trailing direction is an upward direction in the thickness direction (Z-axis direction). The direction of inflow is called a “leading direction (medium inflow direction)” and is a downward direction in the thickness direction. The “two side directions” denote both directions in width (rightward and leftward directions in the X-axis direction). Thewrite shield layer 18 is connected to the auxiliaryreturn yoke layer 10 via two connection holes J provided so as to penetrate both of the insulatinglayer 12 and thegap layer portion 17A. Thewrite shield layer 18 has a rectangular shape (having the width W3) in plan view. The number of the connection holes J and the positions of the connection holes J can be arbitrarily set. - The operation of the thin film magnetic head will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B and FIG. 2.
- In the thin film magnetic head, at the time of recording information, when a current flows into the
thin film coil 13 of therecording head portion 100B via a not-shown external circuit, a magnetic flux is generated by thethin film coil 13. The magnetic flux generated at this time is contained by themagnetic pole layer 16 and flows from therear end portion 16B to thetip portion 16A in themagnetic pole layer 16. Since the magnetic flux flowing in themagnetic pole layer 16 is converged at the flare point FP as the width of themagnetic pole layer 16 decreases, the magnetic flux is concentrated in the trailing side portion of thetip portion 16A. When the magnetic flux is emitted from thetip portion 16A to the outside, a recording magnetic field is generated in the direction orthogonal to the surface of a recording medium and the recording medium is magnetized in the perpendicular direction by the recording magnetic field, thereby magnetically recording information onto the recording medium. The spread component of the magnetic flux emitted from thetip portion 16A is contained by thewrite shield layer 18, so that the spread of the magnetic flux is prevented. The magnetic flux contained by thewrite shield layer 18 flows into the auxiliaryreturn yoke layer 10 via the connection holes J and further flows into thereturn yoke layer 8. The magnetic flux which has magnetized the recording medium is returned to thereturn yoke layer 8 via the auxiliaryreturn yoke layer 10. - At the time of reproducing, when a sense current flows into the
MR device 6 in the reproducinghead portion 100A, the resistance value of theMR device 6 changes according to a signal magnetic field for reproducing from the recording medium. Since the resistance change is detected as a change in the sense current, the information recorded on the recording medium is magnetically read. - A method of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B to FIG. 3 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and4B to FIG. 20. FIGS. 4A and 4B to FIG. 18 are diagrams for explaining processes of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head. FIGS. 4A and 4B to FIGS. 11A and 11B show sectional configurations corresponding to FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIGS. 12 to 18 are plan views showing configurations corresponding to FIGS. 5A and 5B to FIGS. 11A and 11B, respectively. FIG. 19 is a plan view showing the configuration for explaining an example of formation of the
seed layer 15. FIG. 20 shows dependency on an incident angle of an etching rate. The lateral axis of FIG. 20 denotes the incident angle θ (°) of an ion beam and the vertical axis indicates the etching rate (nm/minute). “20A” indicates an etching rate to a photoresist, and “20B” indicates an etching rate to alumina. - In the following, first, an outline of processes of manufacturing a whole thin film magnetic head will be described. After that, processes of forming main components (the
magnetic pole layer 16,gap layer 17, and write shield layer 18) of therecording head portion 100B to which the method of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head of the invention is applied will be described in detail. Description of the materials, dimensions, structural features, and the like of the series of the components of the thin film magnetic head which have been already described in detail will not be repeated. - A plurality of thin film magnetic heads are manufactured in a lump by, for example, sequentially forming components in parallel in a plurality of positions on a wafer and stacking the components by mainly using a thin film process including a film forming technique such as plating and sputtering, a patterning technique such as photolithography technique, and an etching technique such as dry etching. Specifically, first, the insulating
layer 2 is formed on thesubstrate 1 and, after that, thelower shield layer 3, theshield gap film 4 in which theMR device 6 is buried, and theupper shield layer 5 are stacked on the insulatinglayer 2 in accordance with this order, thereby forming the reproducinghead portion 100A. Subsequently, theisolation layer 7 is formed on the reproducinghead portion 100A. On theisolation layer 7, by sequentially stacking thereturn yoke layer 8 buried by the insulatinglayer 9, the auxiliaryreturn yoke layer 10,yoke layer 11 andthin film coil 13 buried by the insulatinglayers seed layer 15,magnetic pole layer 16 covered with thegap layer 17, and writeshield layer 18, therecording head portion 100B is formed. Finally, theovercoat layer 19 is formed on therecording head portion 100B and, after that, theair bearing surface 20 is formed by using mechanical process and polishing process, thereby completing the thin film magnetic head. - At the time of forming the main components of the
recording head portion 100B, the insulatinglayers return yoke layer 10,yoke layer 11, andthin film coil 13, and a flat surface M1 is constructed by the insulatinglayers yoke layer 11. After that, first, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, aprecursor seed layer 15Z made of a magnetic material such as permalloy or a metal material such as copper is formed to a thickness of about 0.01 μm to 0.1 μm on the flat surface M1 by using sputtering or the like. - Subsequently, by using, for example, ion milling, the
precursor seed layer 15Z is etched and patterned, thereby forming theseed layer 15 in a pattern as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B and FIG. 12. Theseed layer 15 is formed so that, for example, its outline becomes larger than the outline of themagnetic pole layer 16 to be formed in a post process. By selectively removing a region in which theyoke layer 11 and themagnetic pole layer 16 are connected in a post process in theprecursor seed layer 15Z, the back gap 15BG is formed in theseed layer 15. - In particular, at the time of forming the
seed layer 15, as described above, considering that a plurality of thin film magnetic heads are formed in parallel on the wafer, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, preferably, by patterning theprecursor seed layer 15Z, alead layer 50 for energization is patterned together with theseed layer 15 on awafer 40, and theseed layer 15 is disposed for each region (thin film magnetic head formation region) R surrounded by thelead layer 50, and eachseed layer 15 is connected to thelead layer 50. Closing lines D in FIG. 19 express portions to be diced in thewafer 40 after completion of the thin film magnetic heads. - Subsequently, a photoresist is applied on the
seed layer 15 and patterned by using the photolithography technique, thereby forming aprecursor photoresist layer 31Z in a pattern as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B and FIG. 12. At the time of forming theprecursor photoresist layer 31Z, for example, a portion (corresponding portion) 31ZP having a width W10 larger than the width W1 (W10>W1) of thetip portion 16A of themagnetic pole layer 16 is included. - By ashing the
precursor photoresist layer 31Z to narrow the width of a corresponding portion 31ZP from W10 to W1, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B and FIG. 13, a photoresist layer 31 (first photoresist layer) is patterned so as to include acorresponding portion 31P having the width W1 and have a shape in plan view corresponding to the shape in plan view of themagnetic pole layer 16. - As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B and FIG. 14, for example, by using CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) or sputtering, the
gap layer portion 17A made of alumina is formed to a thickness equal to or less than about 0.2 μm, concretely, about 0.1 μm so as to cover thephotoresist layer 31 and its peripheral region. Subsequently, the photoresist layer 32 (second photoresist layer) is formed so as to cover thegap layer portion 17A. Thephotoresist layer 32 is formed so that, for example, thegap layer portion 17A is buried, that is, the level of the top face of thephotoresist layer 32 is higher than that of thegap layer portion 17A. - Subsequently, by using ion milling, for example, the
photoresist layer 32,gap layer portion 17A, andphotoresist layer 31 are etched (over-etched) part way, thereby exposing thephotoresist layer 31 as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B and FIG. 15. At the time of performing the ion milling, for example, ion beams are emitted from directions each forming an incident angle θ in a range from about 65° to 70° with a direction S orthogonal to the extended surface of thephotoresist layer 32. By performing the ion million with the etching parameter, as shown in FIG. 20, the etching rate (20A) to the photoresist (photoresist layers 31 and 32) and the etching rate (20B) to alumina (gap layer portion 17A) become close to each other and the photoresist and alumina are etched to almost the same extent. Therefore, the photoresist layers 31 and 32 and thegap layer portion 17A are etched so as to be almost planarized. To be strict, as obvious from FIG. 20, also in the case where the incident angle θ of the ion beam is set within the range, the etching rate to the photoresist becomes slightly higher than the etching rate to alumina. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the photoresist layers 31 and 32 are excessively etched more than thegap layer portion 17A. - Subsequently, by removing both of the photoresist layers31 and 32 by ashing, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B and FIG. 16, a magnetic pole formation region T which is surrounded by the
gap layer portion 17A is formed in a region from which thephotoresist layer 31 has been removed, and theseed layer 15 is exposed in the magnetic pole formation region T. The magnetic pole formation region T is a region in which themagnetic pole layer 16 is to be formed in a post process and is a space region in which the plane shape of thephotoresist layer 31 is transferred. At the time of forming the magnetic pole formation region T, for example, the etching amount of thegap layer portion 17A is adjusted in a preceding process so that the depth H of the magnetic pole formation region T becomes equal to or larger than the thickness of themagnetic pole layer 16. - Subsequently, current is passed to the
seed layer 15, thereby growing a plating film made of a magnetic material such as an iron cobalt base alloy (FeCo) or a cobalt iron nickel base alloy (CoFeNi) in the magnetic pole formation region T, thereby forming themagnetic pole layer 16 in the pattern as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B and FIG. 17. By the growth of the plating film in the magnetic pole formation region T in which the shape in plan view of thephotoresist layer 31 has been transferred, themagnetic pole layer 16 is formed so as to include, from the front side, thetip portion 16A having the width W1 and therear end portion 16B connected to thetip portion 16A. - Subsequently, the plating film made of a non-magnetic metal material such as rhodium (Rh) or a non-magnetic metal compound material such as nickel phosphorus (NiP) is grown on the
magnetic pole layer 16 in the magnetic pole formation region T by continuously using theseed layer 15, thereby forming thegap layer portion 17B to the thickness of about 0.05 μm as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B and FIG. 17. By the operations, themagnetic pole layer 16 is surrounded by thegap layer 17 consisting of thegap layer portions - As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B and FIG. 18, by selectively etching both the insulating
layer 12 and thegap layer portion 17A, the two connection through holes J are selectively formed. Finally, a frame pattern (not shown) made by a photoresist is formed on thegap layer 17 and, after that, a plating film made of permalloy or a cobalt iron nickel alloy is grown in the frame pattern, thereby forming thewrite shield layer 18 having a thickness of about 0.2 μm to 1.0 μm as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B and FIG. 18. At the time of forming thewrite shield layer 18, for example, as shown in FIG. 11A, thetip portion 16A of themagnetic pole layer 16 is surrounded from the three directions of the trailing direction (upward direction in the drawing) and two side directions (lateral directions in the drawing). In such a manner, the main components of therecording head portion 100B are completed. - Since the characteristic manufacturing process is used in the method of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head according to the embodiment, the thin film magnetic head having the
write shield layer 18 disposed so as to surround thetip portion 16A of themagnetic pole layer 16 from three directions can be formed easily with high precision for the following three reasons. - First, the gap length between the
magnetic pole layer 16 and thewrite shield layer 18 can be controlled with high precision. FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the advantage of the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the embodiment. FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the problem of the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head as a comparative example of the embodiment. Each of FIGS. 21 and 22 shows an enlarged sectional configuration of the main components of the thin film magnetic head illustrated in FIG. 1A. - As shown in FIG. 22, the main components of the thin film magnetic head of the comparative example include: the magnetic pole layer116 (
tip portion 116A); thewrite shield layer 118 constructed by three portions (writeshield layer portions magnetic pole layer 116 from three directions; and thegap layer 117 constructed by three portions (gap layer portions magnetic pole layer 116 and thewrite shield layer 118. - The main components of the thin film magnetic head are formed, for example, by the following procedure. First, by using a plating process, the write
shield layer portions magnetic pole layer 116 with a gap D2 together with themagnetic pole layer 116. After that, by using sputtering, thegap layer portions gap layer portion 117C is formed so as to cover the trailing side of themagnetic pole layer 116. After that, by using a plating process, the writeshield layer portion 118C is formed on thegap layer portion 117C so as to be connected to the writeshield layer portions - By using the manufacturing process, the
write shield layer 118 can be formed so as to surround themagnetic pole layer 116 from three directions. In this case, the gap D2 is specified on the basis of pattern precision of the photolithography technique employed at the time of forming the writeshield layer portions magnetic pole layer 116 does not easily spread to both sides but the recording magnetic field intensity deteriorates. On the other hand, when the gap D2 is too wide, the recording magnetic field intensity is high but the magnetic flux tends to spread to both sides. Consequently, the gap D2 has to be controlled with high precision to a desired value. In the comparative example, precision of formation of the gap D2 is insufficient, so that the gap D2 cannot be controlled with high precision. - In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the gap D1 between the
magnetic pole layer 16 and thewrite shield layer 18 is specified on the basis of the thickness of thegap layer portion 17A. In this case, different from the comparative example in which the gap D2 is specified on the basis of the pattern precision of the photolithography technique, the gap D1 is controlled on the basis of film formation time of sputtering at the time of forming thegap layer portion 17A, so that the formation precision of the gap D1 becomes sufficient. Therefore, the gap D1 can be controlled with high precision. Concretely, for example, the gap D1 can be controlled with high precision so as to achieve a very narrow width of about 0.1 μm or less. - Second, the thickness of the
magnetic pole layer 16 can be controlled with high precision. To be specific, in the case of the comparative example (refer to FIG. 22), to form the flat face M2, the whole has to be polished by using a polishing technique such as CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing). In this case, however, the thickness C2 of themagnetic pole layer 116 is specified on the basis of the polishing precision, so that the formation precision of the thickness C2 of themagnetic pole layer 116 is insufficient. In contrast, in the embodiment (refer to FIG. 21), the thickness C1 of themagnetic pole layer 16 is specified on the basis of the thickness of the film formed at the time of the plating process. In this case, different from the comparative example in which the thickness C2 of themagnetic pole layer 116 is specified on the basis of the polishing precision, the thickness C1 of themagnetic pole layer 16 is controlled on the basis of the process time (film formation time) of the plating process, so that the formation precision of the thickness C1 is assured. Thus, the thickness C1 of themagnetic pole layer 16 can be controlled with high precision. - Third, the
write shield layer 18 having the characteristic configuration of surrounding thetip portion 16A of themagnetic pole layer 16 from three directions can be easily formed. In the comparative example (refer to FIG. 21), thewrite shield layer 118 is constructed by three portions (writeshield layer portions write shield layer 118, as described above, at least two processes of a process of forming the writeshield layer portions shield layer portion 118C are necessary. In this case, the process of forming thewrite shield layer 118 becomes complicated and long time is required. In contrast, in the embodiment (refer to FIG. 21), thewrite shield layer 18 is formed as a single body, so that a single process is necessary to form thewrite shield layer 18 and the process of forming thewrite shield layer 18 is facilitated. Obviously, in the embodiment, different from the comparative example, the polishing process is not required, so that the forming process is facilitated also from this viewpoint. Therefore, thewrite shield layer 18 can be easily formed. - In addition, in the embodiment, the
seed layer 15 is formed so as to be in a predetermined pattern shape by patterning theprecursor seed layer 15Z, and theseed layer 15 is selectively disposed only in necessary portions. After that, themagnetic pole layer 16 and thegap layer portion 17B are formed by using theseed layer 15. Consequently, different from the case where theseed layer 15 is formed on the whole surface without being patterned, it is unnecessary to remove unnecessary portions of theseed layer 15 after forming themagnetic pole layer 16 and the like. Therefore, in this viewpoint as well, the invention can contribute to facilitate the manufacturing of the thin film magnetic head. - In particular, in the embodiment, the
gap layer portions gap layer 17 are formed in different processes. Different from the case of integrally forming thegap layer portions gap layer portions gap layer 17 can be formed so that thegap layer portion 17A is thicker than thegap layer portion 17B. - In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the plurality of seed layers15 are connected to the
lead layer 50 on thewafer 40, so that current can be simultaneously passed to the plurality of seed layers 15 by using thelead layer 50. After completion of the thin film magnetic head, thewafer 40 is diced and thelead layer 50 is removed, thereby enabling the seed layers 15 to be electrically isolated from each other. - In the embodiment, the outline of the
seed layer 15 is set to be larger than that of themagnetic pole layer 16. Consequently, even if the formation position of theseed layer 15 is deviated a little, themagnetic pole layer 16 can be stably formed by using theseed layer 15. - In the embodiment, at the time of forming the
magnetic pole layer 16 and thegap layer portion 17B by using the plating process, in any of the cases, theseed layer 15 is used. It is therefore unnecessary to form a seed layer each time themagnetic pole layer 16 or thegap layer portion 17B is formed. Thus, the invention can contribute to facilitate the manufacturing of the thin film magnetic head also from this viewpoint. - In the embodiment, at the time of forming the
photoresist layer 31, theprecursor photoresist layer 31Z including the corresponding portion 31ZP (having width W10) is formed and, after that, the corresponding portion 31ZP is narrowed from W10 to W1 by ashing theprecursor photoresist layer 31Z. Consequently, by using the ashing process on the photoresist, the correspondingportion 31P can be formed with high precision so as to have the very narrow width W1 which cannot be realized with the pattern precision of the photolithography technique. Accordingly, thetip portion 16A of themagnetic pole layer 16 can be also formed with high precision. Concretely, the width of thecorresponding portion 31P which can be formed with sufficiently high precision at the time of using the photolithography technique is about 0.2 μm. In contrast, in the embodiment using the ashing process, the correspondingportion 31P can be formed with high precision so that its width becomes less than about 0.2 μm. To form the correspondingportion 31P having the very narrow width W1, for example, a method of forming the corresponding portion 31ZP having the width W10 and, after that, narrowing the width of the corresponding portion 31ZP by using an etching technique such as ion milling can be also employed. However, the precision of the narrowing process by the ashing process to a width less than about 0.2 μm is higher than that of the etching technique. Therefore, it is preferable to use the ashing process at the time of forming thecorresponding portion 31P with high precision. - In the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B and FIGS. 8A and 8B, at the time of etching the photoresist layers31 and 32 and the
gap layer portion 17A by using ion milling, theincident angle 0 of an ion beam is set within the range from 65° to 70°, so that the etching rate of the photoresist layers 31 and 32 and that of thegap layer portion 17A become close to each other and the photoresist layers 31 and 32 and thegap layer portion 17A are etched so as to be almost planarized. Therefore, it can prevent a situation such that the photoresist layers 31 and 32 softer than thegap layer portion 17A are excessively etched and dissipated and, after that, parts in theseed layer 15 and thegap layer portion 17A, which are not intended to be etched, are unintentionally etched. In particular, by using the etching technique, as compared with the case of using the polishing technique such as CMP requiring longer time for a process, etching process can be performed in shorter time. - In the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B and FIG. 21, when the magnetic pole formation region T for forming the
magnetic pole layer 16 is formed, the depth H of the magnetic pole formation region T is set to be larger than the thickness C1 of themagnetic pole layer 16, so that the depth H has a margin with respect to the thickness Cl. Therefore, an inconvenience which may occur in the case where the depth H is made coincide with the thickness C1, that is, an inconvenience that themagnetic pole layer 16 is formed thickly due to a formation precision error of the thickness C1 or the like and, as a result, themagnetic pole layer 16 and thewrite shield layer 18 are unintentionally connected to each other can be avoided. - The thin film magnetic head according to the embodiment has the
gap layer portions 17A adjacent to themagnetic pole layer 16 in the two side directions, thegap layer portion 17B adjacent to themagnetic pole layer 16 in the trailing direction, and thewrite shield layer 18 surrounding thetip portion 16A of themagnetic pole layer 16 from three directions of the trailing direction and the two side directions via thegap layer portions - Although, in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the outline of the
seed layer 15 is set to be larger than that of themagnetic pole layer 16, the invention is not limited to the arrangement. For example, as shown in FIG. 23, the outline of theseed layer 15 may be equal to that of themagnetic pole layer 16. In this case as well, effects similar to those of the foregoing embodiment can be obtained. As described above, when the inconvenience that themagnetic pole layer 16 cannot be stably formed due to a deviation of the formation position of theseed layer 15 is considered, it is preferable to set the outline of theseed layer 15 to be larger than that of themagnetic pole layer 16 as shown in FIG. 21. - In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the depth H of the magnetic pole formation region T is set to be larger than the thickness C1 of the
magnetic pole layer 16. However, the invention is not always limited to this arrangement. For example, as shown in FIG. 24, the depth H may be equal to the thickness C1. In this case as well, effects similar to those of the foregoing embodiment can be obtained. As described above, when the inconvenience that themagnetic pole layer 16 and thewrite shield layer 18 are unintentionally coupled to each other due to a precision error of the thickness C1 is considered, it is preferable to set the depth H to be larger than the thickness C1. - In the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B and FIGS. 8A and 8B, to make the
photoresist layer 31 expose to the outside, thephotoresist layer 32,gap layer portion 17A, andphotoresist layer 31 are over-etched. However, the invention is not always limited to the arrangement. For example, only thephotoresist layer 32 and thegap layer portion 17A may be over-etched. In this case as well, effects similar to those of the foregoing embodiment can be obtained. However, when considering the inconvenience such that thephotoresist layer 31 is not exposed due to a precision error of the etching amount in the case where only thephotoresist layer 32 and thegap layer portion 17A are over-etched, it is preferable to over-etch thephotoresist layer 31 together with thephotoresist layer 32 and thegap layer portion 17A. - In the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the
write shield layer 18 is formed by the single process. The invention, however, is not always limited to the method but, for example, thewrite shield layer 18 may be formed by a plurality of processes. FIGS. 25A and 25B to FIGS. 30A and 30B are diagrams for explaining three modifications of the method of forming thewrite shield layer 18. FIGS. 25A and 25B to FIGS. 27A and 27B show a first modification. FIGS. 28A and 28B to FIGS. 29A and 29B show a second modification. FIGS. 30A and 30B show a third modification. - In the first modification, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the
gap layer 17B is formed. After that, as shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B, the photoresist film is patterned by using the photolithography technique, thereby forming aframe pattern 33 so as to cover the region other than the formation region of thewrite shield layer 18. Subsequently, by selectively growing a plating film on thegap layer 17B in the magnetic pole formation region T by using theframe pattern 33 and theseed layer 15, a writeshield layer portion 18A (first magnetic shield layer portion) as a part of thewrite shield layer 18 is patterned. Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B, for example, by using sputtering, a writeshield layer portion 18B (second magnetic shield layer portion) as another part of thewrite shield layer 18 is formed so as to cover thegap layer portion 17A, writeshield layer portion 18A, andframe pattern 33. At the time of forming the writeshield layer portion 18A, the front portion of the writeshield layer portion 18A is set to surround thetip portion 16A of themagnetic pole layer 16 from three directions of the trailing direction and two side directions. Finally, theframe pattern 33 is lifted off together with the excessive writeshield layer portion 18B while partially leaving the writeshield layer portion 18B, thereby forming thewrite shield layer 18 as an assembly of the writeshield layer portions - In the second modification, the
frame pattern 33 is formed together with the writeshield layer portion 18A by using a method similar to that of the first modification. After that, first, as shown in FIGS. 28A and 28B, aseed layer 25 for performing a plating process is formed by using, for example, sputtering so as to cover thegap layer portion 17A, writeshield layer portion 18A, andframe pattern 33. At the time of forming theseed layer 25, for example, by partly connecting theseed layer 25 to theseed layer 15, current can be passed to theseed layer 25 via theseed layer 15. Subsequently, by selectively growing a plating film by using theseed layer 25 together with theframe pattern 33, the writeshield layer portion 18B is formed in a pattern. Finally, by lifting off theframe pattern 33 together with theexcessive seed layer 25, as shown in FIGS. 29A and 29B, thewrite shield layer 18 including the writeshield layer portions - As the third modification, the write
shield layer portion 18A is formed by using a method similar to that of the first modification and theframe pattern 33 used to form the writeshield layer portion 18A is removed. After that, first, as shown in FIGS. 30A and 30B, aseed layer 35 for performing a plating process is formed in a pattern in a region in which the writeshield layer portion 18B is to be formed in a post process on thegap layer portion 17A and the writeshield layer portion 18A. At the time of forming theseed layer 35, for example, in a manner similar to the case of forming theseed layer 15 in the foregoing embodiment, a precursor seed layer (not shown) for forming theseed layer 35 is formed on the whole face and is patterned by using the photolithography technique and the etching technique. At this time, for example, by partly connecting theseed layer 35 to theseed layer 15, current can be passed to theseed layer 35 via theseed layer 15. Subsequently, by patterning the photoresist film by using the photolithography technique, aframe pattern 34 is formed so as to cover the region other than the formation region of the writeshield layer portion 18B. After that, by selectively growing a plating film by using theseed layer 35 together with theframe pattern 34, the writeshield layer portion 18B is formed. After that, by removing theframe pattern 34, thewrite shield layer 18 including the writeshield layer portions - Also in the case of forming the
write shield layer 18 by using any of the first to third modifications, effects similar to those of the foregoing embodiment can be obtained. - Although the
gap layer portions magnetic pole layer 16 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B in the embodiment, the invention is not always limited to the configuration. For example, as shown in FIGS. 31A and 31B, thegap layer portions tip portion 16A of themagnetic pole layer 16. The method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head having the configuration is substantially the same as that described in the foregoing embodiment except for the point that thegap layer portion 17A is formed so as to be adjacent only to thetip portion 16A in two side directions and thegap layer portion 17B is formed so as to be adjacent only to thetip portion 16A in the trailing direction. In this case, as the region surrounded by thegap layer portion 17A, in place of the magnetic pole formation region T for forming themagnetic pole layer 16 described in the foregoing embodiment, a magnetic pole tip formation region TN for forming thetip portion 16A is formed. In this case as well, effects similar to those of the foregoing embodiment can be obtained. In the case of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head having the configuration shown in FIGS. 31A and 31B, as the method of forming thewrite shield layer 18, the single process method described in the foregoing embodiment or the plural-process method described in the first to third modifications (FIGS. 25A and 25B to FIGS. 30A and 30B) may be used. - Although the invention has been described by the embodiment and modifications, the invention is not limited to the embodiments but may be variously modified. Concretely, for example, the case of applying the invention to a single magnetic pole type head has been described in the foregoing embodiment. The invention, however, is not always limited to the case but can be applied to a ring-type head. Although the case of applying the invention to a composite thin film magnetic head has been described in the foregoing embodiment, the invention is not always limited to the case but can be applied to, for example, a recording-only thin film magnetic head having an inductive magnetic transducer for writing and a thin film magnetic head having an inductive magnetic transducer for both recording and reproducing. Obviously, the invention can be also applied to a thin film magnetic head in which a device for writing and a device for reading are stacked in the order opposite to the above-described order.
- Although the case of applying the invention to a thin film magnetic head of the perpendicular recording method has been described in the foregoing embodiment, the invention is not always limited to the head but can be also applied to a thin film magnetic head of the longitudinal recording method.
- As described above, in the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention, in a magnetic pole formation region surrounded by a first gap layer, a magnetic pole layer and a second gap layer are formed, and the magnetic pole layer is covered with the first and second gap layers from three directions. After that, a magnetic shield layer is formed on the first and second gap layer so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer from three directions. Consequently, based on the characteristic manufacturing process, the thin film magnetic head in which the magnetic shield layer is disposed so as to surround the magnetic pole layer from three directions of the medium outflow direction and two side directions can be easily formed with high precision.
- In the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention, in a magnetic pole tip formation region surrounded by a first gap layer, a magnetic pole tip portion and a second gap layer are formed, and the magnetic pole tip portion is surrounded from three directions by the first and second gap layers. After that, a magnetic shield layer is formed on the first and second gap layer portions so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions of the medium outflow direction and two side directions. Thus, the thin film magnetic head in which the magnetic shield layer is disposed so as to surround the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions of the medium outflow direction and two side directions can be easily formed with high precision.
- The thin film magnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention has: the first gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in two side directions; the second gap layer disposed adjacent to the magnetic pole layer in the medium outflow direction; and the magnetic shield layer surrounding the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers. Thus, the thin film magnetic head can be manufactured by using the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention.
- The thin film magnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention has: the first gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in two side directions; the second gap layer adjacent to the magnetic pole tip portion in the medium outflow direction; and the magnetic shield layer surrounding the magnetic pole tip portion from three directions of the medium outflow direction and the two side directions via the first and second gap layers. Thus, the thin film magnetic head can be manufactured by using the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention.
- In addition to the above, in the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention, by forming the magnetic pole layer and the second gap layer by using a seed layer, the invention can contribute to facilitate manufacturing of the thin film magnetic head also from this viewpoint.
- In the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention, when the outline of the seed layer is larger than that of the magnetic pole layer, the magnetic pole layer can be stably formed by using the seed layer.
- In the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the invention, a precursor photoresist layer is formed so as to include a portion having a width larger than the width of the magnetic pole tip portion and, after that, a second photoresist layer is formed by narrowing the width of the portion by ashing the precursor photoresist layer. Consequently, the second photoresist layer can be formed with high precision so as to have a very narrow width which cannot be realized by pattern precision of the photolithography technique and, accordingly, the magnetic pole tip portion of the magnetic pole layer can be also formed with high precision.
- In the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the invention, by emitting an ion beam from a direction forming an angle in a range from 65° to 70° with a direction orthogonal to a plane extended from the second photoresist layer at the time of using ion milling, the portion other than the portion to be etched in the first gap layer can be prevented from being unintentionally etched.
- In the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to the invention, by setting the depth of the magnetic pole formation region to be larger than the thickness of the magnetic pole layer, an inconvenience that the magnetic pole layer and the magnetic shield layer are unintentionally connected to each other can be avoided.
- Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
Claims (13)
Priority Applications (1)
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US11/544,101 US7508630B2 (en) | 2003-03-31 | 2006-10-06 | Thin film magnetic head and method of manufacturing the same |
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JPJP2003-096742 | 2003-03-31 | ||
JP2003096742A JP4060224B2 (en) | 2003-03-31 | 2003-03-31 | Manufacturing method of thin film magnetic head |
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US11/544,101 Division US7508630B2 (en) | 2003-03-31 | 2006-10-06 | Thin film magnetic head and method of manufacturing the same |
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US7140095B2 US7140095B2 (en) | 2006-11-28 |
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US11/544,101 Expired - Fee Related US7508630B2 (en) | 2003-03-31 | 2006-10-06 | Thin film magnetic head and method of manufacturing the same |
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US11/544,101 Expired - Fee Related US7508630B2 (en) | 2003-03-31 | 2006-10-06 | Thin film magnetic head and method of manufacturing the same |
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US20070263324A1 (en) * | 2006-04-24 | 2007-11-15 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. | Perpendicular magnetic recording write head with notched trailing shield and method for making |
US20100296193A1 (en) * | 2006-04-24 | 2010-11-25 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. | Perpendicular magnetic recording write head with notched trailing shield |
US7576951B2 (en) | 2006-04-25 | 2009-08-18 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. | Perpendicular magnetic write head having a magnetic write pole with a concave trailing edge |
US20070258167A1 (en) * | 2006-04-25 | 2007-11-08 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies | Perpendicular magnetic write head having a magnetic write pole with a concave trailing edge |
US20080087630A1 (en) * | 2006-10-16 | 2008-04-17 | Tdk Corporation | Method of producing thin film magnetic head |
US7828985B2 (en) * | 2006-10-16 | 2010-11-09 | Tdk Corporation | Method of producing thin film magnetic head |
US7804662B2 (en) | 2006-12-26 | 2010-09-28 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. | Perpendicular magnetic recording head including wrap around shield with notched top write gap and method of fabricating the same |
US20080151437A1 (en) * | 2006-12-26 | 2008-06-26 | Tsung Yuan Chen | Perpendicular magnetic recording head including wrap around shield with notched top write gap and method of fabricating the same |
US7950137B2 (en) | 2007-06-21 | 2011-05-31 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. | Method for manufacturing a magnetic write head |
US20080316652A1 (en) * | 2007-06-21 | 2008-12-25 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies | Simultaneous pole-tip and side shield fabrication and integrated elg |
US7877859B2 (en) | 2007-06-22 | 2011-02-01 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands, B.V. | Shield fabrication of magnetic write heads |
US20080313885A1 (en) * | 2007-06-22 | 2008-12-25 | Wen-Chien Hsiao | Shield fabrication of magnetic write heads |
US20100078406A1 (en) * | 2008-09-30 | 2010-04-01 | Hung-Chin Guthrie | Method for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic write head with a wrap around shield |
US8066892B2 (en) | 2008-09-30 | 2011-11-29 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. | Method for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic write head with a wrap around shield |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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US7508630B2 (en) | 2009-03-24 |
US7140095B2 (en) | 2006-11-28 |
JP2004303364A (en) | 2004-10-28 |
JP4060224B2 (en) | 2008-03-12 |
US20070030602A1 (en) | 2007-02-08 |
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